Under the Rose
by Depraved Doll
Summary: Ryuuji and his lover have a fight and he storms out to calm down, when he doesn’t return his loved ones start to worry, but what happened to him, where is he and will they find him before it’s too late? SetoxRyuuji, YsxHs
1. Chapter 1

**Under the rose**

**Author- **Luna P aka Nikki

**Rating- **R/M

**Warning- **Yaoi, language (from the very start to the very end n.n) abuse, violence, angst and Yami no Malik and Yami no Bakura n.n

**Disclaimer- **if I owned it then Ryuuji would get a lot more screen time, as would Yami no Malik and Malik himself. However I do not and I do not claim to so I ask for you to be nice and to not sue me n.n

**Summary- **Ryuuji and his lover have a fight and he storms out to calm down, when he doesn't return his loved ones start to worry, but what happened to him, where is he and will they find him before it's too late… SetoxRyuuji, YsxHs (and many others)

**A/N- **Ok this is just something that I came up with whilst I was writing and listening to my _HIM _CD before going to the Kerrang! XXV tour. All I can ask of you is to **PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK **it would really mean a lot to me as I put a lot of effort into everything I write to make it the best I can for you guys out there. Anyway enjoy and once again please review n.n

_**YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO**_

_**Chapter one- Emerald…**_

Emerald-eyes shimmered with a wall of tears that refused to fall as they locked onto the form of the man before them. He wanted nothing more right now than to run away, to just pack his stuff and never come back, but he didn't want to lose what they had, most of all, he didn't want to back down. Not to _him _and not now. But it was just so painful to stand there and hear it all, to be accused of such horrible things and have no way to prove that they weren't true. A few tears slipped from his eyes and made their way down the pale flesh to the floor at his feet and he knew that he would have to break his silence.

"You're fucking paranoid you know that?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and steady but failing as the sobs tried to force their way into his speech making him squeak every once in a while. Azure-eyes narrowed at what had been said to him, he stepped closer to the emerald-eyed boy who struggled to stand his ground instead of back away as he had done several times before. He was weak and afraid but he would not show it, he would not yield to him, not this time.

"How dare you speak to me like that, if it's not the truth I speak, then tell me, what led you to my door, what drew you to my bed?" The taller male asked, glaring down at the slightly smaller man with all he had, a few more tears fell, he just wanted him to stop it, stop speaking stop shouting at him and telling him why he had done the things he'd done. He couldn't understand, everything had been fine between them that morning, then the elder had left for work and returned like this. Angry at the emerald-eyed teen for things he hadn't done.

"I could tell you the reasons time and time again but in this state you wouldn't believe them even if I was hooked up to a lie detector." Emerald eyes closed forcing the wall of tears to shatter and spill onto the soft cheeks below as he tried to regain his composure.

"I wouldn't believe you because all you do is lie," the emerald-eyed boy shook his head, raven ponytail whipping violently from left to right. "How stupid do you think I am? You used me Ryuuji, just like you use everyone else, only I got wise to it, you just can't except that someone found out, can't except that you've been found out and beaten at your own sick and twisted game." The taller snarled, the raven head just continued to shake from side to side. Protesting that it wasn't true.

"You're fucked up, do you even know what trust is? You probably can't even spell it you're so paranoid that you more than likely believe the spider spinning it's web in that corner is a trap to catch you out and tear you apart!" The younger male yelled as he looked back up at the other man in his company. He could hear the rain pounding against the window could feel the cold but was unsure whether that cold was coming from the world lying just behind the glass or the being of ice stood infront of him now.

"I'm not paranoid Ryuuji, infact I'm seeing things a hell of a lot clearer than I have over these past months. For a while I thought you were worth my time now you're just a useless slut that I have no wish to spend any further time with. You're a nobody and I grow tired of your company." The elder explained matter of factly, emerald-eyes narrowed and he went to slap the taller male but said male caught his wrist before he even got close. Clenching his hand around the younger's wrist and making him gasp in pain.

"Let go! Stop it you're hurting me!" The raven-haired male growled and tried to pull his arm away but the elders grip only tightened causing him to yelp at the pressure growing ever tighter around his wrist. "Stop it you bastard!" He screamed and struggled to free his aching wrist once again "just let go of me!" blue-eyes softened slightly, but the younger man didn't see as he tugged at the hand on his wrist and let the tears fall unhindered from his eyes. The elder let go and his eyes once again narrowed.

"You're pathetic," the blue-eyed man growled and folded his arms across his chest as he studied the younger man. He had a right to be pissed off after all, he had been fooled into loving this man, had actually _loved _him. He'd have done absolutely anything for him, of course then he'd been told the truth, he'd been played. Toyed with like a pawn in a chess game, and he would make the other pay for manipulating him as he had.

"And you're a cold hearted bastard who doesn't care who they hurt, how does Mokuba stand you, how does he stand _this_. You've treated him like he didn't even matter in the past, how can he live with you? You're a monster Kaiba; you can't love that's like asking a machine to love it's something that can't be done. You're so fucking cold and after all this time of me trying to thaw that icicle of a heart, I've barely even made a dent… you're just like that step father you bitch about so much. You're just like him, just as cold just a barbaric just as ruthless and uncaring…" before he could even finish his sentence the back of Kaiba's hand hit the side of his face with such a force it knocked him to the floor with a loud thud that echoed throughout the entire house.

"How dare you compare me to him! What gives you the right to judge me like that! What gives you the right to lecture me on how I raise Mokuba!" The elder screamed down at the raven-haired male sprawled infront of him on the white carpet. Ryuuji groaned slightly as he pushed himself up, wiping at his lip which had split open and now poured blood from the force of the hit. Simultaneously rubbing his head from where it had hit the floor, however with each move he started to feel more and more dizzy and subsequently more and more nauseous so he pathetically relented to collapsing onto the soft carpet once again. Leaving the blood to spill from his lip and onto the floor in bright crimson streams.

Kaiba just watched the smaller male collapse, feeling the slightest pang of guilt in the very centre of his being as he watched his lover give in and bleed onto his floor. Despite his anger there had been one thing he had promised never to do to Ryuuji no matter how far the younger pushed him. He'd promised never to hit him, never to hurt him, most importantly he'd never wanted to be the cause of the raven-haired mans suffering, but looking at him now he could see that, that was exactly what had happened. He had done everything that he had promised not to do.

"Ah, shit" the emerald-eyed male muttered into the floor as he tried to get up once again. Getting to his knees and supporting his weight mainly on his hands and knees before discovering that he couldn't get any further without running the risk of collapsing once again. He had never thought that Kaiba would hit him like that, never in a million years, the dragon-master had a short temper he knew that but the blue-eyed man would never have intentionally hurt him. Or so he thought, After a few more minutes of letting his head stop spinning the dice master pushed himself to his feet and steadied himself by using the wall to his left.

Jade eyes shimmered with tears once again as they locked onto the elder male, so cold and untouchable so angry, that hurt him the most. Stumbling slightly the younger tore his gaze away and started towards the door of the bedroom. He reached it and leant against it before hazarding one more glance at the man he loved. Said man was just staring down at the carpet, tears slipped from the smaller male's eyes as he turned the doorknob and stepped out into the corridor.

"I love you, always have and always will, no matter what you do, no matter what you believe. I can't help myself…" the emerald-eyed teen whispered as he closed the door behind him with a soft click. The dragon-master let the words sink in as he stared at the crimson stain on his bedroom carpet. A part of him wanted to go get the other, wanted to grab him and kiss him and tell him he was sorry. But he couldn't, the stubborn part of him kept screaming that it was right, as always, screaming to let him go, it didn't matter what the dice master said… it was a lie… love was a lie…

Still as the words hit his heart he tore his gaze from the bloodstain to the door that his beautiful little koi had just walked out of. He had hurt him, not only physically but mentally, he had hurt one of the only people he had ever loved and for what? Because of something someone he didn't even know had told him… maybe he was paranoid…

_XxxxxX_

The emerald-eyed boy gently swept the tears from his eyes as he stumbled down the corridor, leaning against a wall and wiping the blood away from his lip before continuing down the hallway. This whole evening had been insane, what had all of that even been about anyway? He certainly didn't know and it wasn't like he was going to go back and ask Kaiba, no, maybe later but not now. Right now he wanted to get as far away from the dragon-master as possible. He still loved him but he thought it best to let him cool down before pushing the matter any further.

"Ryuuji-kun, I heard shouting, oh my God what happened are you ok?" Mokuba practically squealed as he ran down the length of the corridor to where the elder boy had stopped the moment he'd heard the young boy.

"Yeah Mokie, I'm fine," the dice master explained as the younger threw his arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. Essentially stopping him from going any further. The elder smiled down at the small child and ruffled his hair gently; he didn't want to upset Mokuba by telling him exactly what had happened. The younger didn't need to know, all couples fight, Seto and Ryuuji were no different.

"I heard Nii-sama shouting at you…" he paused, glancing up at the elder whom unbeknownst to both Seto and Ryuuji himself he was besotted with. "Then there was this loud thud and everything went quiet, why is your lip bleeding Ryuuji-kun?" He asked, voice trembling, he knew that his elder brother had a short temper but to actually hit the emerald-eyed man… he wouldn't do such a thing… would he? How did Mokuba know…what did he really know about the man who had raised him… he hoped that he knew him as well as he thought but there were times when he was doubtful about if he did.

"I fell… tripped over something in the hall, you know how clumsy I am Mokie," that was a lie Mokuba knew that, if there was one thing the green-eyed male wasn't it was clumsy. He was as graceful as a cat and definitely had the reflexes of one.

"Nii-sama upset you didn't he Ryu-kun?" the ebony-eyed child asked letting go of the elder male and stepping back wards so that he could see him properly. The dice master just smiled down at the chibi gently, patting his head comfortingly as one would a dog. "Ryu-kun?" the younger prompted noting the faraway look in the usually warm emerald eyes.

"It's nothing to be concerned about Mokie, just a little quarrel was all, we just need some time to cool off." The green-eyed beauty explained, but Mokuba was no fool, nor was he blind and he could clearly see the tears welling in the elder male's eyes as he spoke. "That's why I'm going to go for a walk, maybe go see Malik or Ryou, do you understand?" The younger boy nodded and then hugged the elder male once again.

"You are coming back though, right Ryu?" the words were mumbled by his shirt and he sighed hugging the younger and gently rubbing his back. After a few moments of silence the dice master pulled away and crouched down so that he was eye level with the young boy.

"Of course, I should be back later tonight at the very latest sometime tomorrow morning." Ebony eyes stared up at him, his eyes shimmering with doubt that hid underlying anger. He was angry at his older brother, he couldn't understand why Seto always did this, why he always pushed people away from him. Why he felt the need to distance himself from the world. "You don't believe me do you Mokie?" Ryuuji asked with a soft smile, "just remember that if worse comes to worse I still have to come back for all my stuff and…" he paused taking off the necklace he always wore and giving it to the youngest Kaiba. "And for this, it's a family heirloom after all, ja ne Mokie, go to bed or Seto will be mad." Mokuba nodded slowly and watched as the dice master walked off.

"Bye Ryu, be careful the weathers horrible out there and it's supposed to get worse." Mokuba sighed as the elder descended the large staircase. When he was out of sight the ebony haired child clutched at the necklace around his neck and smiled softly, Ryuuji would be back and when he did Seto would apologise. Mokuba would make sure of that and if there was one person in the whole world that could force the all-powerful Kaiba Seto to do something it was Kaiba Mokuba.

The front door opened with a soft click and then slammed shut with a loud bang that could probably be heard all over the house. The ebony-eyed teen growled his brother's name and then walked off down the corridor to his Nii-sama's room. In typical Kaiba style he put on his best glare and then forced the door open. The minute he stepped into the room his eyes locked with his elder brother's and the glaring contest began.

"What did you do to Ryuuji-kun? He was really upset!" Mokuba snarled, folding his arms over his chest and giving his brother his own version of the Kaiba Seto death glare. The elder chuckled softly, amused at his baby brother's antics. This was so like Mokuba, getting himself involved in everything because he thought that he could fix it. It was rather endearing actually.

"Mokuba, what happened between Ryuuji and myself was exactly that, between us, you need not concern yourself with it." The youngest Kaiba rolled his eyes in annoyance and walked over to where his Nii-sama was perched on the bed, sitting down beside him with an exasperated sigh.

"That's what Ryu said," the younger boy huffed, irritated with how neither boy would tell him anything. They sat in silence for a while, Mokuba twirling the pendant of Ryuuji's necklace as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "Ryuuji was hurt when he left…" he paused that had been a bad way to start. "He was bleeding, his bottom lip was split… and he was crying." Kaiba didn't respond, just stared down at the floor, at the patch of blood on his carpet as the emotions warred within him. "He said that he'd fallen over in the corridor… Nii-sama… did… did you hit him?"

"Mokuba, there are certain things going on between Ryuuji and I right now…"

"In other words he said something you didn't agree with and so now there's a pool of his blood on your carpet, you've been staring at it since I came in." The youngest Kaiba growled, his older brother, no matter how much he adored him, could be a real idiot sometimes.

"Mokuba, when you're older you'll understand, relationships can be complex things and the relationship between Ryuuji and myself is one of the most complex in existence…" before he could continue the younger Kaiba butted in with his own question. Deciding not to let his older brother speak for too long because when Seto did he could sometimes twist things around and make you believe something that you wouldn't have otherwise.

"Do you love Ryuuji Nii-sama?" Blue-eyes narrowed and darkened at the question, the answer was simple, yes, he did he loved him with every ounce of his being. It was Ryuuji who he wasn't sure about, he didn't know whether Ryuuji's love for him was genuine or just an act that the dice master had put on to get close to him and win his trust. "Well Seto? Do you?" The younger pushed, blue locked with ebony and then glanced down at the necklace his baby brother was twirling mindlessly. His heart thumped painfully again, it was Ryuuji's necklace, would he ever see the other again? Could things ever go back to the way they had been between them?

"Mokuba, please, don't push this matter any further." The CEO asked, tearing his gaze from the necklace and allowing it to settle back onto the floor. "I need time to think, we both do, time to cool down and think things through."

"That's what he said, he's going to go for a walk…in this!" The boy yelled motioning towards the window and the horrific weather smashing into it from outside. The dragon-master cringed slightly, fisting his hands in his lap, they needed time apart, his stubborn side kept insisting, it was for the best. "Why do you do it Nii-sama? Why do you push everyone away? Why won't you let yourself be happy? Are you going to do all this to me one day? Why don't you want anyone to get close to you?" The younger asked, his voice fading to that of a whisper.

"Its complicated Mokuba, just drop it, it's late and you should be in bed."

"So should Ryu but he's not, he'd walking to Malik's or Ryou's because you're a cold hearted bastard and you refuse to believe it. Because you're paranoid and won't trust anyone, I love you with all my heart Seto but sometimes when I look at you now, all I can see is Gozaboro's face staring back at me. I don't want to fear you Seto and neither does Ryuuji but there are times when you just don't give us a choice." The youngest Kaiba explained, his voice soft and gentle as the words slipped from his mouth. "When Ryuuji comes back I think you own him an apology, don't you?" Mokuba asked, eyes shimmering slightly, though Seto wasn't quite sure why. The ebony-eyed child stared down at the necklace around his neck, then looked back to his brother.

"How do you know he's coming back kid?" The elder Kaiba asked, the events of that day replaying over and over in his mind and the sane part of his mind making it perfectly clear that he wouldn't come back if he had been in Ryuuji's shoes. Mokuba smirked slightly and shrugged, hugging his brother's back comfortingly.

"If worse comes to worse he still has to get his stuff." The younger sighed and quickly removed Ryuuji's necklace placing it around his brother's neck and doing it up. Watching as it landed just over the elder's heart, cold though it may be. "And he'd have to come back for this… family heirloom…or so he said. Goodnight Nii-sama, remember to apologise." He instructed and nuzzled his head into his brother's neck gently. Raven hair fell over Seto's shoulder and he swore that it became his lovers in that instant. Swore that the boy behind him became his lover, if only for a second. "I love you Seto," the child whispered and pulled away walking out of the door and closing it with a soft click behind him.

"Ryuuji…" the name escaped the CEO's lips as he twirled the pendant of the necklace inbetween his fingers. He did love him, of course he did, who wouldn't, the dice master was perfect in every single way. Still there was that small part of him that didn't believe Ryuuji loved him back, and that small part was turning the rest of him against his lover and he didn't know how to stop it.

_XxxxxX_

The dice master growled when he reached the gates of Domino park, he couldn't believe everything that had happened, they had been in love had they not and then Seto had stormed in with those insane ideas and paranoid thoughts and started throwing random accusations around. It was just too much for the emerald-eyed teen to deal with, with a sigh he stepped into the park. Noting the flickering street lamps that illuminated the whole of the park, he walked confidently away from the road and the well-lit street into the darkened park. When he was half-way through the park the lights began to flicker more violently before they each went off with a quiet bang.

Ryuuji stopped walking and took in his surroundings feeling slightly uneasy being in the pitch-black park. However the weather was absolutely abhorrent and he was more than confident that he would be the only sane human being out on such a night, if he was considered sane himself anymore. Rubbing his arms for warmth he cautiously continued his trek across the park only reaching where the second street lamp had gone out before he stopped to look around once again, and then curse himself for not bringing a coat.

"Such a pretty boy shouldn't be out alone on a night like this…" the voice cut through the silence causing the dice master to spin on his heel in an attempt to find the source of the voice. "Especially when Kaiba Seto is his boyfriend, you'd think he'd have a bodyguard with you everywhere you went. I would if you were mine and I had his bank balance." Ryuuji went to say something but before he had a chance a cloth was placed infront of his mouth and nose. He refused to breathe for a while, knowing full well his fate if he did, and began to kick out and thrash in his attackers arms.

"Just relax sweetie," a different male voice spoke up from behind him, telling him that there were two assailants rather than one. Not that that made a blind bit of difference to him at that point in time. After a long moment of not breathing and trying to get his attacker off of him Ryuuji was forced to inhale although instead of oxygen he only received the scent of whatever was on the cloth before darkness consumed him and he could hold on to consciousness no more. The last word escaping his lips…

"Seto…"

_**YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO** _

Ok, I meant to have this up some time ago as I started writing this on the 15th but I wasn't sure how to end this chapter. So it ended up like this, I hope it in some way is acceptable, hopefully even borderline good but I doubt that. However if you could find it in your hearts to review and tell me what you thought then we get Bakura and Marik kicking Seto's ass next chapter with Mokuba, Ryou and Malik (yes I said Malik) trying to keep everyone sane. The more reviews I get the sooner I update and the more I love you all and what I do, so once again please review and I'll see if Ryuuji will be ok n.n


	2. Sapphire

**Under the rose**

**Author- **Luna P aka Nikki

**Rating- **R/M

**Warning- **Yaoi, language (from the very start to the very end n.n) abuse, violence, angst and Yami no Malik and Yami no Bakura n.n

**Disclaimer- **if I owned it then Ryuuji would get a lot more screen time, as would Yami no Malik and Malik himself. However I do not and I do not claim to so I ask for you to be nice and to not sue me n.n

**Summary- **Ryuuji and his lover have a fight and he storms out to calm down, when he doesn't return his loved ones start to worry, but what happened to him, where is he and will they find him before it's too late… SetoxRyuuji, YsxHs (and many others)

**A/N- **Review replies will be done at the end thanks to you all n.n hugs and kisses and I'm glad that you're all liking it n.n

**_YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO_**

_**Chapter two- sapphire**_

The loud banging coming from the door downstairs was enough to drive anyone to the brink of their sanity and if listening carefully then one would believe the stoic dragon-master to be no different as was evident in how his typing, slowed from the fast and well timed pace that it usually was at to the slow and often concentrated pace it now was. Most people would believe that this was all down to the noise coming from the front door but infact most of it was due to the events of the previous night. The way he had acted had shocked even him and he had even refused to sleep in his bedroom where the events had taken place. As a result he had not slept and was in a seriously bad mood that only the bravest or the most insane of men would dare to challenge.

Lucky for him two of such men lived in the same city as he. The music that Mokuba had previously been listening to was turned off as he stormed out of his room, slamming the door behind him and causing the whole house to shake before he stomped his way down the stairs. Complaining all the way about how he was seemingly the only one with the ability to open a door in their house and something about how they paid people to do this so why weren't they doing it. What he didn't know was that the maid had gone to get the door only to catch a glimpse of who it was and then run off in the other direction, pretending not to exist. With a growl of annoyance Mokuba threw open the door and glared at whoever was there.

"You know you can look scarier than that fucker of a brother of yours kiddo, speaking of said fucker where is he? We need to have a little 'talk.'" Mokuba smirked darkly at the man infront of him and glanced back at the staircase, with a slight chuckle he caught sight of one of the maid's running off up the stairs and called out to her, gaining her attention.

"Mina, could you tell my Nii-sama that he has visitors, very persistent visitors that won't go away until he comes down to see them. They will be waiting in the lounge," Mokuba explained, the women nodded and smiled at the youngest Kaiba before continuing up the stairs. "Well come on in then, it's freezing out here." The group smirked and piled into the house before following the raven-haired teen to the lounge and seating themselves in the seats scattered around the room.

"Sorry for the intrusion Mokuba, my Yami can be awfully brazen when he feels the need to be." The doe-eyed hikari explained with a gentle smile as he sat down next to Bakura on the couch. The raven-haired boy just smiled and nodded understanding everything the elder was telling him very well. Bakura huffed slightly and rolled his eyes, his hikari's niceties beginning to grate on his nerves, as they tended to do.

"Well my apologies Ryou, you speak kindly to Seto dearest and I'll punch his fucking face in," the Yami suggested quite pleased with the ultimatum he had presented to his other half. Ryou just hit his Yami's arm lightly before returning his attention to the young boy in their company.

"Sorry once again Mokuba, he can be quite foul mouthed and ill tempered even on the best of days." The youngest Kaiba just shrugged and smiled,

"Don't worry about it Ryou, I've been considering hitting Seto myself a lot at the moment, he's just…losing it, for lack of a better term." The teen explained glancing down at the floor with a slight growl, Marik raised an eyebrow at the younger's reaction as he shifted his hikari in his lap to make the position more comfortable on them both.

"And why is that Mokie?" Malik asked, leaning against his Yami's chest as he glanced over the small boy, he looked tired, more than that he looked angry and extremely pissed off. Was that for the same reason as them or something else? Ebony-eyes glanced up at the blonde hikari before shrugging slightly.

"Why are you guys here?" the teen asked, leaning back in the armchair and glancing inquisitively at each of his guests in turn. Marik sighed slightly and stole a quick look around the room before returning his attention to their present host.

"Ryu here?" The blond haired Yami asked, his gaze locking with Mokuba's, the younger thought about the question for a second then allowed his eyes to widen in shock and fear a like. His heart began to pound in his chest as his mind raced with a million and one ideas of what could have happened to his friend. He hoped none of them were accurate, but hope really was all that he could do.

"No, he said he was going to see you," The raven-haired teen explained, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, as he glanced at every person in turn. "Why? He didn't show up did he? Where is he? Is he ok? I haven't heard from him since he left…what…what if something happened to him on his way to yours yesterday?"

"What are you raving lunatics doing here?" The icy voice cut the tension in the room like a knife; before Ryou could react to the situation rising or even realise what was going on Bakura has leapt over the back of the couch, grabbed hold of the CEO's collar and thrown him up against the nearest wall with a loud thud. Marik chuckled darkly and began to twirl his hikari's hair mindlessly.

"Stab the shit Bakura!" Marik practically ordered, wrapping his arms around Malik's waist possessively. The blond-haired hikari just growled and elbowed his Yami in the chest, glancing back at the other and giving him the best death glare he could muster. Failing to scare his Yami in any way shape or form but making him look incredibly sexy nevertheless.

"Don't encourage him Yami" the Egyptian ordered sternly before looking back over at where the white-haired Yami was glaring at Seto with such a force that Malik was surprised the CEO hadn't turned into a pile of ash. "Got to admire the bastard for still standing even with that glare to compete with." He smirked feeling his Yami nodding against his shoulder in agreement. Ryou sighed and ran over to his Yami trying to pry him off of the dragon-master and failing miserably.

"Bakura it's always a pain in my ass whenever you're within three miles of me so if you wouldn't mind would you pick up the trash you brought in with you and drop it on the corner as you leave." Bakura growled angrily and glanced back at Malik and Marik, Malik had begun swearing in Egyptian and cursing the former priest whilst his Yami chuckled maliciously and made a cut throat motion. Ryou just scoffed politely and frowned at what the CEO had said but chose to ignore it. With a darkened smirk Bakura went to shout a comeback but a low growl from Mokuba stopped him from doing so and silenced the entire room.

"Shut up Seto! Just shut up!" The younger growled, glancing up and locking his gaze with his elder brother. "You can't talk to them like that, you can't call them trash and insult them like you do because they're better people than you will ever be. They can _feel _and they can love and they don't push everyone away because they're paranoid of someone getting too close. They're not robots like you so you can't treat them the way you do! They just want to help and you're so isolated that you don't even know what is happening to the people you claim to love!" The smaller Kaiba practically screamed before running out of the room and storming up the stairs.

"Oh, Mokuba, you can be a heartless bastard sometimes Kaiba-kun, Malik, make sure that they don't kill him please, I'm going to go speak with Mokuba." Ryou explained as he left the room and made his way up the staircase, throwing Seto one last disapproving glare before he was out of sight.

"Ok 'Kura, you heard him let the obnoxious bastard go, obnoxious bastard sit, Kura sit. Now lets talk like civilised human beings which is what Mokuba and Ryou wanted, no comments from the former priest about the civilised remark. Everyone sit and shut up then we will take it from there." Malik announced to his surprise both Bakura and Seto sat down, on opposite sides of the room but sat and shut up nevertheless. "My Ra you actually did it? Kaiba are you feeling ok?" The CEO snarled distastefully and folded his arms in annoyance at the remark.

"Fine, I just want to get all this over as soon as possible and get you all out of my house." The dragon master explained, glaring over at the blond hikari who just shrugged and glared back.

"How's Ryuuji?" Bakura asked, wasting no time with his interrogating of the other male. The azure-eyed man turned to look at him, eyes narrowing dangerously, Bakura just held his ground, refusing to even blink whilst the former priests eyes were focused on him.

"He's not here," a shadow crossed the tomb robbers face as he tore his gaze from that of Seto's to Malik who's eyes narrowed dangerously. Out of all of Yugi tachi and their preaching about friendship after battle city when he had returned to Domino with Isis the only member of the group that had accepted him, as Ryou had been in Egypt with Bakura and his father at the time, was Ryuuji. They had immediately became close friends and with the return of Ryou, Bakura and most noticeably Malik's Yami the four had broken away from Yugi tachi and formed their own little group.

"Yeah we know, which means that he's nowhere, and I for one am worried, because Ryu's not one to just run off without telling someone. He called Malik last night saying that he needed to talk to us, he sounded distraught, upset, maybe even panicked. He never showed up Kaiba, why was that?" Marik asked, propping his head on his hikari's shoulder. The CEO stared at them placidly but inside he was anything but calm, his heart was pounding a mile a minute and his mind was in shreds. Ryuuji really wasn't one to just go missing or not show up somewhere when he said he would. So what had happened…

"So tell us Kaiba, why was Ryu so upset? Why was he coming to see us instead of being _here_ with _you?_" The tomb robber growled out. The dragon master stayed silent, it was personnel after all and Kaiba Seto did not speak about personnel things to people who weren't involved. It just wasn't his way. "Tell us, or I'll tear you to pieces…" the extra malice in the white haired Yami's voice was enough to make even the bravest solider cower in fear, but not Kaiba Seto.

"I really don't think that is any of your fucking business," The azure-eyed male explained, eyes dark and dangerous.

"Well it is, cause you see Kaiba, Ryuuji is one of my dearest friends and if you hurt him it's my duty to make you pay." The white-haired Yami explained, the dragon master just watched him with a cold indifference.

"It's over between the two of us, I found out who he really was and it wasn't who I had been tricked into believing he was, we had an argument and he left. The last I heard he was going to see you. I haven't heard from him since, but he's a big boy now and can take care of himself, so there it is now if you would all please get the fuck out of my house. He's probably waiting for you there…"

"I don't think he is…" Ryou interrupted, eyes downcast as he walked into the room and sat beside his Yami, hands shaking as he placed them in his lap. Sapphire-eyes rolled at the hikari's overdramatics, for a bunch of 'psycho's' they were awfully touchy feely. "Kaiba, I think you should read this." Ryou said handing an envelope to the CEO who growled, annoyed at the other male for opening his mail. His heart caught in his throat at what was inside.

"What is it…Ryou? Kaiba?" Malik asked, the room was completely silent for a few minutes before the CEO stood from his seat and glared at the occupants in the room with all he had making them slightly uncomfortable if not actually scared.

"If I find out that this is your sick idea of a joke I will kill you all," the CEO muttered darkly, before he glared at each of the room's occupants in turn and stormed out of the room, trenchcoat billowing dramatically behind him as he walked.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Bakura asked with a growl as he leant back into the couch and glanced over at his hikari, prompting him to give the answer.

"Kaiba thinks that we have kidnapped Ryuuji as a way to spite him what he fails to realise is that we couldn't care any less about him and what happens to him. All we care about is Ryuuji; I just hope that one day Kaiba Seto will stop and realise that the world doesn't revolve around him, never has and never will." Ryou muttered and glanced over at Malik who gave a slight nod in understanding and stood from his Yami's lap.

"So what do we do now?" He asked, violet eyes shimmering slightly, Ryou shrugged and glanced over at his Yami, Bakura just smirked maliciously.

"Wait for Kaiba to come to his senses, it's all we can do, like it or not _this _does revolve around him as such we don't have the kind of money they're asking for, or at least we can't obtain it all in the amount of time they've given. Mainly we have no starting points and no leads, we don't know who's out to get Kaiba, after all that's a big field to start looking in and we're in it. As much as I hate to say it, it's all down to Kaiba." Why did that send shivers down each of their spines?

_XxxxxX_

The dice master groaned softly as consciousness finally reclaimed him, giving him back his vision, blurry though it was and allowing him to take in his surroundings, which he did not recognise. His heart began to pound in his chest as his vision started to clear and the fogginess within his mind dissipated allowing him to feel the pain around his wrists and work out that his arms were tied behind him. In a flash of panic the emerald-eyed male began to struggle against the restraints holding his arms to the back of the chair he was sat on.

He noted half way through his attempts to free himself that his legs too were tied to the legs of the chair and that there was a rope around his waist that tied to the back of his chair and the rope securing his arms. With a slight sigh he gave up his fight against the restraints and turned his attention to the room. It was a large room, like one that would be found in a warehouse, the windows were boarded up and if it wouldn't have been for the lights scattered around on the ceiling he would have been in complete darkness.

"Sorry about the accommodation, it's hardly a mansion after all, but you may as well make yourself at home. You'll be here for a while, until that boyfriend of yours pays us the money to let you go." Green-eyes widened and then softened as a smirk appeared across his lips.

"We'll be waiting a long time then, Seto would only pay for me to be returned safely if we were still together, which we are not. So I have nothing to do with him and he'll only ever give you money if you have something that he _wants_. He made it perfectly clear yesterday that he didn't want me." The emerald-eyed beauty explained, keeping his voice calm and steady though it was a hard thing for him to do given that the topic he was discussing still weighed heavily on his heart.

"Doesn't he? Or was your little 'lovers tiff' yesterday evening of my creation? Just to get you out of the house? I'll leave you to think about that, there is work that needs to be done." The man explained softly, there was the loud squeaking of a chair being pushed back across the floor, following that the gentle click, click, of shoes as the man walked to where he was sat. Ryuuji's breath caught in his throat as the mans shadow draped itself over him and then his hands rested on the dice masters shoulders, rubbing them gently.

"You've really got to ask yourself now, was your relationship with Kaiba Seto worth being kidnapped? I personally think not, but I know what will happen to you if lover boy doesn't pay up. Lets hope he does, it would be such a shame to have to hurt someone so beautiful." His kidnapper cooed into his ear and then kissed him lightly on the cheek, Ryuuji groaned and pulled his head away, disgusted by what the other had just done.

"Surprisingly, I don't care, beat me, kill me, do what you please, you won't get your money, Seto's a cold hearted bastard who only cares for himself. If anyone should no that, it's me." The words passed his lips as a lone tear slipped from one jade eye and trailed its way down perfect milk skin to where it fell onto his jeans. Going unnoticed by the man behind him or so the dice master hoped.

"Well I hope you're wrong and that all of this won't come to us having to injure you in some way, because that would be most unfortunate and completely unnecessary." The man told him with a gentle chuckle, "you know what if all goes according to plan you might even grow to like us, or at least me. Maybe I'll tell you my reason for doing all of this sometime and maybe you'll find it in your heart to forgive me." The man explained and turned away walking towards where Ryuuji assumed the door to be.

"I know why you're doing this so don't waste your breath, you're doing this for the money, what is your share for, power? Women, maybe men depending on your preferences, perhaps even both? To clear you of your debts, to pay off a loan shark, to buy drugs? Which is it then, don't I have a right to know?" The dice master asked monotonously.

"Probably, but I can't tell you that, not now anyway, I'll see you later Otogi Ryuuji, a word or warning before I leave, do not push my associates as you have pushed me. They will not take it as kindly as I have." The man explained as he unlocked and opened the door, stepping out and closing and re-locking it behind him. Ryuuji sighed softly and glanced down at his lap. Was his relationship with Seto really worth all of this torment and suffering? The thought crossed his mind that, no, it wasn't.

If Seto didn't trust him then why should he be willing to give up his life for a man that no longer cared for him in anyway shape or form? The answer to that was easy to come by, because he loved him, that was why, no matter what happened, he couldn't chose who he fell in love with. It was just fate that decided to make him fall for a cold-hearted bastard who couldn't care less about anyone who crossed paths with him. To love Kaiba Seto was to realise that there is no such thing as love…

Love was a lie…

Painful though it was to believe… love was a lie… 

The dice master shook slightly at that thought, that truth, or maybe it was that love wasn't a lie, just their love. Nobody else seemed to have to deal with all the pain and heartache that he did, Bakura and Ryou seemed to get by just fine and no matter how much time passed Malik and Marik were like new found lovers. Yes that seemed about right to love Kaiba Seto was not to realise that there was no such thing as love because there was such a thing. To love Kaiba Seto was to realise the _he _couldn't love and was to turn your heart to stone.

Green-eyes stared at the wall before him as the questions ploughed through his mind, would Seto come for him? Would he even realise that he was gone? Would he be killed here? Would he die alone? Would anyone care? Would Seto forever be alone? Would his friends miss him? Did any of that matter?

Green-eyes closed as he leant against the back of the chair, what would fate decide to deal him this time, he pretty much figured anything would be better than having to spend your life being in love with Kaiba Seto. Anything, even death would be better than what he went through loving Kaiba… what he's going through loving Kaiba Seto…

_"Love's the funeral of hearts"_

How true…

_**YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO**_

Ok just a note before I go onto writing the reply's to the reviews (thanks n.n) I'm expecting this to have roughly four of five chapters and I don't have set update times for this. Around a two week period is the longest you'll have to wait for the next chapter I guess, I just write it when I'm inspired and have the time…

Hope this was worth your time with reading it and if anyone can guess where _"Love's the funeral of hearts" _came from then they get a cookie and a big hug n.n

Anyone sending me e-mail'sright now, my e-mail's not working so please forgive me and I still love you all Gillie that means you especially n.n

**Review replies**

**Wild Stallion-** Yay you were my first reviewer and I remember you from… Fallen? I think it was that you reviewed to sorry if I'm wrong n.n but thanks for the review I didn't expect any for this so when I saw that I had one I was over the moon n.n thanks once again and hope you enjoyed this chapter n.n

**yepoleq****- **I'm glad you're liking it, and I too love this pairing, it is actually one of my very favourites but I find that it is very under appreciated and often ignored on this site by people who aren't willing to give it a try n.n so I'm glad that you like it as well n.n thanks for the review and I hope to hear from you again soon n.n

**Black.Thorns.and.White.Tear...****- **Well he's ok for now n.n and yes Seto is stupid but it's just who he is none of us can change him no matter how much we want to. I'm really happy that you're enjoying the story and I hope that this chapter has lived up to your expectations n.n P.S. hope this update was soon enough to prompt another review n.n

Hugs and Kisses to you all…**  
**


	3. Funeral of Hearts

Under the rose 

**Author- **Luna P aka Nikki

**Rating- **R/M

**Warning- **Yaoi, language (from the very start to the very end n.n) abuse, violence, angst and Yami no Malik and Yami no Bakura n.n

**Disclaimer- **if I owned it then Ryuuji would get a lot more screen time, as would Yami no Malik and Malik himself. However I do not and I do not claim to so I ask for you to be nice and to not sue me n.n

**Summary- **Ryuuji and his lover have a fight and he storms out to calm down, when he doesn't return his loved ones start to worry, but what happened to him, where is he and will they find him before it's too late… SetoxRyuuji, YsxHs (and many others)

**Dedication- **_The Used _without you guys I probably would never have sat down to write this chapter and I certainly wouldn't have had any inspiration to write it with, thank you for doing what you do and thank you for being my muses despite you really knowing it. One last thing, thank you for helping me to be less fucked up than I once was, take care…

**Thanks to all reviewers, I love you all very much and thank you for taking the time to read and review to my work… individual review replies will be done at the end n.n**

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO 

_**Chapter three- Funeral of hearts**_

What was that phrase that Ryuuji had uttered on more than one occasion in regards to them and relationships in general? He couldn't remember, didn't really spend that much time contemplating it. It was just one of those annoying things that you had forgotten and felt the need to almost prove to yourself that you could remember without being told. Yet he felt that no matter how much he tried he couldn't remember and the only person that could tell him what it was had decided to go off and play stupid little pranks on him with his psychotic friends. Like it mattered it was trivial information just there to be forgotten, so why did it aggravate him so much that he couldn't remember it?

Infact it was annoying him to the point of distracting him from all of the work lying before him, which was a very hard thing to do. The azure-eyed CEO sighed and ran a hand through chestnut locks trying to soothe the pounding within his skull as best he could. With a slight growl he removed the reading glasses and placed them down on the papers resting on the mahogany desk before him. He didn't care what it was, couldn't give a fuck, and he didn't care about Ryuuji and his stupid little games. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

But there was this part of him, deep down, that felt that something wasn't right. Ryuuji wouldn't trick him like this and despite their insanity and instability it didn't seem like something Bakura and his group would do either. Still, he refused to listen to that part of himself, convincing himself that he was right, and that doubting himself would do no good, hoping that the voice… the feeling of worry would leave him, but it never did…

Blue-eyes fell closed to try to soothe the pain within the CEO's mind, and it seemed to work. The pain momentarily numbing becoming almost non-existent as the dragon masters mind floated somewhere between the world of sleep and the world of consciousness, deciding that it didn't want to fully be in either. Though with his eyes closing it seemed that another set opened within him, the emerald green eyes of his ex-lover. The ones that entranced, ensnared, and entrapped him within their lies and deceit. Yet he still loved those eyes and still craved to see them staring at him with what appeared to have been love.

For that, and so much more, he berated himself, the dice master had made a fool of him and after coldly shoving him aside the CEO found himself still wanting him. Craving the beauty and perfection that was Otogi Ryuuji; didn't that in itself make him twice the fool, even before he had done anything further? A callused hand grasped hold of the clown pendant around his neck, closing around it and tugging hard until the chain holding it in place snapped and fell limply down his arm. Azure eyes seemed to harden and darken at the sight of the thing in his hand. The dice-master had set the stage with it, pretending he would return, then he decided to toy with the CEO one last time… well Kaiba had decided that he wouldn't play the fool again. Thus he wouldn't play the game… or pay the fucking ransom…

Dropping the necklace onto the desk he pushed it aside and turned his attention back to the computer screen. Though he couldn't remember what he was supposed to be doing or what everything written upon the screen was about. In the end, he just couldn't focus, and it seemed to him that as he turned away from the screen the clown on the pendant was laughing at him. Laughing at how pathetic and foolish he was and he could almost hear Ryuuji laughing at him for loving him and for playing into his hands, well never again would he make that mistake… and the clown laughed again…

The pounding within the former priest's skull started once again, a dull throbbing at first, then growing…slowly but surely until it felt as if he was being hit over the head again and again with a large brick. _'Kill. Smile. Cut it out for me this time.' _The clown smirked darkly. Insanity, that's what this was… he was going insane. Hearing voices, believing an inanimate object could laugh at him. How foolish… but it didn't stop… the pounding… the laughing…the voices… the pain… the worry. It all just merged together to become one great mess inside his head. _'Smile! Haven't seen him smile in a while!' _the laughing grew…

There was a loud knock at the door that seemed to push the insanity from his mind, if only just for the time being. The CEO sighed in relief, the clown pendant still smirking up at him, but then again wasn't that how it had been designed. Kaiba Seto had never liked clowns and he liked to be made to look like one even less. With another sigh he told the person to come in. The large door creaked open, slowly, guiltily, and then entered an employee who Seto had only realised existed yesterday, and who Seto only remembered because of the things he had said.

"Mr Kaiba, I have something I need to tell you…" the man started, closing the door and making his way over to the desk. He stopped just before it and stared down at the wood, his eyes falling onto the clown pendant, frowning up at him due to his perception of the thing.

"Hurry up then, I don't have time to be wasting, I'm a busy man." The employee nodded and placed his hands behind his back, head still down and staring at the pendant. A slight smirk tugging at his lips that went unnoticed by the CEO sat behind the desk.

"The things I said to you yesterday…they were lies…every last one. I barely even know who Otogi Ryuuji is. I made it all up, I've never even met him let alone had an affair with him behind your back and I most certainly have never spoken to him about you being tricked into falling for him. From what I can tell he's been totally loyal to you, I think he loves you more than anything. Trusts you with his _life, _it was wrong of me to say the things I did, wrong to try and split you up." Blue eyes darkened and narrowed,

"So why did you?" the CEO asked, voice low and dangerous, how could he have been so foolish, he had trusted the word of a man he didn't even know over that of his lovers. Ryuuji had been correct, he was paranoid, he was paranoid of being made to look a fool, that's what this man had done to him, not Otogi…_him…_

"These men came to me a few days ago, they asked me if I wanted to make a sum of money by lying to you. I don't earn a lot doing what I do for you Mr Kaiba a little extra money from an outside source is a good deal. Especially when all I have to do is make up a story that will have a knock on effect at getting your partner out of the house and away from you and your guards for a while." The dragon master's attention was now solely on the man stood before him, as a little voice in the back of his mind screamed out that it had told him so.

"Why did these men want to get Ryuuji out of the house?" He asked, already knowing the answer but hoping that it wasn't what he thought it was.

"I wasn't entirely sure, until this morning, an envelope was pushed through my door before I came to work. It had my money sealed inside with a little note saying that I had done a good job and that Otogi Ryuuji had been successfully kidnapped. If I would have known that would have been the outcome I never would have agreed to doing it. That's also why I'm telling you the truth, I feel partly to blame for what has happened and thought it best to tell you the truth and hand you my resignation." The former priest just chuckled darkly and shook his head his eyes narrowing even further, the chuckle turning into a malicious growl.

"What do you mean, you feel partly to blame? Surely this is all your fault, don't go placing the blame elsewhere, you can't interfere in people's lives like that, you can't go round lying and deceiving people for a little bit more money. It's wrong and I'll make sure you pay for it… mark my words." The brunette growled standing from his chair and slamming his hands down onto the desk, staring the man down. A smirk crept across the other male's lips as he watched the CEO's reaction.

"But it's not all my fault Mr Kaiba, I just made up a little story it was you who chose to believe the word of a man you didn't even know. You who blew it all out of proportion, you who was too paranoid to trust the word of your lover." The man moved round the desk until he was behind the CEO, waiting for the words to sink into Kaiba's mind before he continued. "The seeds of doubt had already been planted Seto, I just helped them to grow until they completely over took you. I did what I did because I hate you, I hate the way you have everything anyone could ever want but you don't give a fuck about it. If it was only you this had affected then I wouldn't have given a fuck."

The man started walking towards the door stopping as he reached it and standing just infront of it for a while before glancing back at where the CEO was glared daggers at him. Obviously trying to keep his anger in check so that he didn't kill the man who had actually made a fool of him. The man smirked once again but the smirk disappeared before the former priest could even realise that it had been there.

"The only reason I told you the truth, is because this ended up hurting a man whose only crime was loving you and being loyal to you. I wonder what he's thinking right now, probably that loving you wasn't worth it. That you won't part with however much money they asked for to get him back, because… you don't give a fuck do you? He's probably thinking how little you actually cared and trusted him and that love's the funeral of hearts." And there is was, that little saying he had been trying to remember all day. With nothing more said the man opened the door and left, slamming the door shut behind him as he went.

Growling the CEO collapsed back down into the chair, grabbing hold of the clown pendant and looking at it closely. It was still laughing at him, mocking him, as it had been doing all along but what he hadn't realised was that the reason it had been mocking him, was not what he had originally believed it to be. Ryuuji hadn't made him look a fool, he had made himself look like one and now the man he loved had been ripped from him just for loving him. Blue eyes closed gently, he didn't deserve to be loved…

He didn't deserve anything, because everything he touched turned to ashes under his fingertips, everyone he loved grew to hate and despise everything about him. And he was slowly growing to hate what he was becoming… everything that he had promised he wouldn't… Ryuuji had been right. He was becoming his stepfather, cold, alone, cruel, untouchable, generally just a cold-hearted bastard. Sighing he ran a hand through his hair and picked up the phone patching through to his secretary who answered immediately, knowing better than to make her Boss wait for her nails to dry.

"Get me my Accountant on the line now," he ordered before she had even had a chance to breathe into the other end of the phone. That being said he hung up and waited for the call to be patched through. All the while thinking about how he was going to explain all of this to Mokuba without making his little brother hate him just like everyone else already did.

XxxxxX 

The dice master tugged at the restraints once again, trying to free himself from the bindings, he already knew that it was futile, that he could not break free but nevertheless what else did he have to do? Drive himself insane with what ifs and fantasies of what his life could have been like. With a sigh he stopped struggling and leant back against the chair, emerald eyes closing as he tried to will this nightmare to end.

There was a loud creaking as the door behind him was pushed open, he jumped slightly, his heart starting to pound within his chest but he forced it to slow and himself to calm down. Kaiba may have viewed him as a coward but that he was not and he would not fear these bastards. The light seemed to flood into the room, chasing the darkness into the furthest corners. Ryuuji just straightened himself out and stared straight ahead, showing that the person's entrance meant absolutely nothing to him.

"I'm supposed to make sure you have something to drink whilst Mikey's out," the male voice explained, Ryuuji just chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Then I suppose you will have to untie me as I'm not about to let you pour just anything into my mouth." The dice master explained, never once letting his gaze slip from the wall. The other man just growled and grabbed a chair, dragging it until it was infront of Ryuuji and then sitting down on it, essentially blocking the dice master's view.

"Mikey did say something about you being a defiant little fucker, he also said not to hurt you too bad, but Mikey's not the one in charge here. Now," the man growled standing up and grabbing hold of the raven-haired male's chin and forcing the dice master's head back. The emerald-eyed teen went to protest but before he could his mouth was filled with the cold liquid that had previously been held within the glass. With a smirk of satisfaction the other male let go of the dice masters head, the second he did so however the liquid he had just poured into the green-eyed teens mouth was spat back at him.

"You little piece of shit!" The man snarled and backhanded the raven-haired teen before grabbing hold of the dice master's hair and yanking his head back with a loud click. Again he tipped some of the liquid into Ryuuji's mouth this time making sure that the teen had swallowed the drink before he let him go again. "Do what you're told around here kid, or this room might be the last place you ever see. Mikey might coddle you but I don't give a fuck what happens to you. I just want my money and trust me, I will get it, whatever happens here Ryuuji, I win, so just be a good little boy and do as you're told and you just might leave here alive." Green-eyes locked onto the hazel ones of the other male.

"You're a fool, Kaiba doesn't care about me and he won't pay to get me, or my corpse if that is what this comes to, back. So I can't see you winning no matter what you do, you chose the wrong person to blackmail. Kaiba Seto doesn't have a heart, he doesn't feel compassion, he's incapable of it. You won't get your money, he'll probably just think this is some sort of sick joke anyway." A smirk tugged at the other male's lips that made Ryuuji feel sick to his stomach.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, believe it or not we are not amateurs and we do know what we are doing. Your boyfriend will give us what we want because believe it or not he does have a heart and its quite partial to you. Then again who wouldn't be?" The other asked, leaning down and capturing Ryuuji's lips with his own. The dice master snarled and tried to pull away but the hand holding his head in place stopped him from doing as he wished.

"Iwata! What did I tell you, Mikey's not in charge but neither are you, and there are other things that I want you to be doing other than molesting our bargaining chip." Another male voice filtered into the room and the man pulled away. The second he did so the dice master spat at him once again.

"You bastard, touch me again and I promise you, I'll make sure you don't get a penny of what you asked." The raven-haired teen snarled, eyes narrowing dangerously in a way that proved it was not just an idle threat.

"Iwata, go now, I wish to have some time alone with our captive." The other man explained, Iwata muttered something under his breath and glared at Ryuuji as he stalked away. The minute he was out of the room the other man closed the door and turned on the lights, almost blinding the dice master with the sudden intensity of light in the room. "I apologise for him and his behaviour, he can be a little unfocused and easy to aggravate. That is why, as Mikey said to you earlier, you need to be on your best behaviour around them."

"What about you, do I need to hold my tongue around you?" The emerald-eyed teen asked, the other male chuckled as he walked to the empty chair opposite of Ryuuji's and sat down. He just observed the dice master for a while, taking in everything about the raven-haired male.

"No, I'm not one to get so hot tempered. Anyway, my apologies I haven't even introduced myself to you yet. I'm Ville and I'm the one calling the shots around here, sorry for the accommodation it's probably not what you're used to but for the time being it's all we've got. You're looking at me like I'm some sort of monster, awfully big assumption is it not?" Ville asked, the dice master shrugged and stared at the other male with narrowed eyes.

"How am I supposed to view you? You've kidnapped me, tied me up, locked me in here. Threatened to kill me, had your goons attack me, am I supposed to pretend that we can be friends, especially when you've done all this just so that you can get some money off of someone I love. So tell me, are you not a monster?" Ville just shrugged,

"I don't really care how you view me, I'm doing what I'm doing for a reason and I don't think I have to explain myself to you. Now I will make sure that you are kept safe and that Iwata stays away from you. I know that Mikey will also do the same when he returns as he is quite taken with you. Following that hopefully Kaiba Seto will pay up and we can all go our separate ways soon."

Ryuuji just chuckled and turned his head to his left, deciding that he didn't want to talk to the other male anymore. After a long silence the loud screeching of a chair being forced back across the floor cut through the silence in the room.

"I'd best be making my leave, Mikey is expected back any moment now and I want to hear how things went. He'll no doubt be by to visit you later, if you're still here that is, we might get lucky and part ways before then. What do you think?" The dice master just stayed silent, with a shrug of indifference and a slight chuckle, Ville started to the door. Before he left though Ryuuji glanced back at him, calling out to him simultaneously.

"Ville, why us? Why chose me? Out of all those people out there who are in love with billionaires, billionaires who would give everything up just to get their partners back, why did you chose to take me?" Ville's pale green eyes regarded the raven-haired male with a calm composure. Then smirked and walked back to where the dice master was sat, standing infront of him and gently lifting his chin with his index finger. Pale green locking with dark emerald.

"Simple, because I took pity on you, you love Seto so much but he has such a lot to learn about love, we shall teach him about it. As the saying goes, you don't realise how much you truly love someone until they're gone. When I first saw you, I noticed your eyes, and I saw your pain, how deep that pain runs, how much it hurts you. I felt that you _needed _this and that your boyfriend did to, I think I was correct and with time I think that you will grow to see that too. It may not be today, or tomorrow, not when you're back with Kaiba, but it will happen, trust me on that, I'm hardly ever wrong, just ask Mikey. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's toy with people. Goodbye Ryuuji,"

The dice master blinked a few times as the explanation sunk in, he didn't agree with what they had done but he suppose he could somewhat understand the reasoning behind it. Still that didn't mean that he was about to turn around and thank them all for kidnapping him locking him up in here and then putting a price on his head. He couldn't help but wonder though, how much did they think that he was worth. How much did Kaiba think that he was worth?

With the click of the door shutting and the lights being turned off the dice master remembered his promise to Mokuba to go back. He had never once broken a promise before and he prayed that this wouldn't be the first time. Tugging on the restraints once again Ryuuji gave up for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Then he wondered about Malik, Marik, Bakura and Ryou, his best friends, would they know about what had happened, would they be the ones to come to his rescue instead of Kaiba?

That thought saddened him a little, sure he would love to get out of here but to know that Kaiba wouldn't be his knight in shining armour was crushing him. Then again he supposed that it would be fitting after all, Kaiba was no longer his lover so why should Ryuuji expect him to put himself out to be his hero? Maybe he didn't, maybe he just wished that the dragon master would care enough for him to do this one last thing for him…

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO 

**A/N- **Ok first and foremost I am so sorry that this took so long to update but I had a lot of trouble with finding the inspiration for this chapter. Finally I did find it within _The Used _as such this is sort of dedicated to them as well as all of you who were so kind to review.

Review Reply's 

**Wild Stallion****- **Woo hoo, I got it right! Glad to see someone I know around here n.n and please don't be mad with 'Kura-kun, he's just doing what he thinks is right and acting with Ryuuji's best interests in mind n.n hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I will see you again soon.

**Black.Thorns.and.White.Tear...****- **Wow, I'm glad that you're enjoying reading my work so much, that's what makes this so worth while I just love writing things that people love to read and I also like that I'm keeping you on the edge of your seat. I think angst fanfiction just has this great bittersweet thing going on and that's why I love writing it so much. Thank you for all your wonderful comments I really do try my best to keep the characters as they are and so I'm glad that that's coming across. Thank you also for being so supportive with my updating, I know it's not the best in the world but if I rush I'm likely to get bored and stop writing it all together so I'll take that pina colada and hopefully see you again next chapter n.n

**yepoleq****- **Glad to hear that you're liking Marik, Malik, Ryou and Bakura, I just love them so much so they had to go in here somewhere and I just have to make sure that I do their characters justice because they're so exciting and fun to work with in terms of characteristics. Anyway, I'm super happy to know that you're enjoying it and I hope that you have enjoyed this chapter too and that I will hear from you sometime soon n.n

**seto'swifey****- **I absolutely love this pairing so I'm glad that you like it aswell, it's not actually one of the more popular ones so there isn't really much of it, which is sad because as I said I'm a huge fan of it. And what you said is true most people do portray Duke as a drama queen, which is something that I entirely disagree with because I can just see so much more depth to his character. So I for one refuse to write him as a pathetic little wimp because I can't see that when I look at him, glad to see that you like the way I've written him and that you're liking my work, hope to here from you again soon n.n

**Futile Faith****- **Glad you agree with me, I've only read a couple that I've truly fell in love with, it's the portrayal of Ryuuji in most that get to me. The way he is often made into a drama Queen or an airhead is just irritating as I don't see him like that. I'm glad that you're enjoying the fic and I hope that I've done better with my punctuation in this chapter but it's often something that I'm not too good with so sorry if it's still lacking, hope to see you soon n.n

**MornMeril****- **Wow thanks, I'm not exactly sure what my style is but I'm glad to see that it's making and impact and that you're liking it. I'm also super happy to here that I've managed to make you like this pairing. It's one very close to my own heart and I'm glad that you like it too. Hope that you like this chapter too and that thing are progressing nicely for you, I also hope that this update was quick enough for you, if not I'm sorry, hope to hear from you soon n.n

THANK YOU to all of my reviewers, you make it all worthwhile, thank you for your kindness and support and I'm grateful to all of you n.n Hugs and Kisses and hope to see you all soon

**  
**


	4. Drag

Under the rose 

**Author- **Luna P aka Nikki

**Rating- **R/M

**Warning- **Yaoi, language (from the very start to the very end n.n) abuse, violence, angst and Yami no Malik and Yami no Bakura n.n

**Disclaimer- **if I owned it then Ryuuji would get a lot more screen time, as would Yami no Malik and Malik himself. However I do not and I do not claim to so I ask for you to be nice and to not sue me n.n

**Summary- **Ryuuji and his lover have a fight and he storms out to calm down, when he doesn't return his loved ones start to worry, but what happened to him, where is he and will they find him before it's too late… SetoxRyuuji, YsxHs (and many others)

**Dedication- **To all of you who have waited so patiently, and believed that I would eventually update despite me being so slow with it. My apologies, I had writers block, though I decided to write through it hence the chapter being a little slow and crappy in the mid section there… sorry for the wait and hope that this is ok…

**Thanks to all my reviewers, I love you all and appreciate everything you have said… Thanks to… **

**Wild Stallion**

**Black.Thorns.and.White.Tear...**

**Wildcard**

**seto'swifey**

**MornMeril**

**blended colorz**

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO

_**Chapter four- Drag**_

He gripped the sink basin, his head pounding, threatening to split itself in two, and the clown laughing at him from where it lay discarded in the adjoining room. His eyes locked onto those of his reflections, he felt sick, he felt exhausted both physically and mentally, most of all he felt stupid, he felt like the fool he had so desperately tried not to become. His hands clenched into fists around the sink as his reflection stared back at him with a smirk of hatred and contempt, and he swore that he could feel his sanity slipping…

"Mr Kaiba, are you alright?" He turned to regard the man with a pallid look of stoicism, and relinquished his grip on the edge of the sink. Leaving the mirror and killing the reflection that had once lived within.

"Fine, please have a seat in my office," the CEO instructed as the two left the bathroom and walked back into the adjoining room. The other male smiled and sat down on the opposite side of the desk to Kaiba, glancing down momentarily at the clown pedant that lay upon the surface of the desk. Before he tore his gaze from the object and focused it on the man sat before him.

"If I may ask sir, why have you called me here? I was under the impression that today was my day off, not that I'm not happy to come in, it's just…" the younger male began tripping all over his words as he tried to voice his question in a way that would not get him fired.

"It was, is, but something has come up and I need your help, that is why you're here because you're my accountant and I need you to do something for me." The dragon-master explained, staring down at the clown pendant that seemed to shift from smiling to frowning, he internally shuddered, he had never liked clowns and he felt like that one was trying to strip him of his sanity. Felt as though it was blaming him, but then again wasn't he the one to blame?

"Ok then, what is it?" the younger asked, the CEO sighed and opened one of his desk drawers, sliding across the top of the desk a piece of paper. The other male lifted it from the wood and skimmed his eyes over it before glancing up questioningly.

"I need that sum of money transferred to that account as soon as possible,"

"Am I entitled to ask why?"

"Otogi Ryuuji has been kidnapped, that is the sum of money his captures are requesting I pay for his safe return." The younger nodded and ran a hand through his hair,

"I'm so sorry, when do you want the money to be payed into the account?" He asked, brown eyes locking with blue from across the table.

"By the end of the day at the latest," The CEO explained, standing from his seat, "I trust you can do that Mr Eiri,"

"Of course Mr Kaiba I shall do it straight away," he announced, rising from the chair and bowing slightly before heading over to the door and walking out of the office. The CEO sighed as he left and collapsed into his chair, running a hand through his hair. He would have to tell Mokuba, the younger would be angry, blame him, ignore him, but he had to tell him.

XxxxxX 

When he got home an hour later Mokuba was sat in the lounge playing a computer game with Malik who seemed ever so slightly confused by what he was supposed to be doing whilst being seriously pissed off because he was losing. Marik and Bakura glared up at the dragon master as he appeared in the doorway, arms folded over his chest.

"I thought I told you four to get out,"

"Mokuba asked us to stay," Ryou explained, walking into the room with a tray of drinks and snacks. He smiled down at Mokuba as he placed the tray on the table behind where Malik was sat muttering about unfair play and cheating.

"Yeah I did Nii-sama, we had a great time…" he stopped, still looking at Seto for a while, then decided it was best to voice the question that had been pressing on his mind since his big brother had left earlier that day. Since their fight, "when is Ryuuji coming back Nii-sama?" The raven-haired teen asked, his eyes never leaving those of his older brothers. Seto held his gaze for a while before glancing over to where Ryou and Bakura were sat on the couch.

"You didn't tell him?" the former priest asked, Bakura smirked darkly and Ryou shook his head,

"It was not our place," the white haired hikari explained, "it wouldn't have been right," he continued, his Yami just chuckled slightly. Glancing up to glare at the CEO,

"Well that's what Ryou said, to be perfectly honest I wanted to tell him as soon as you left, Ryou wouldn't let me. Said it was up to you to decide when and how to tell him or some shit like that." The Yami growled, folding his arms over his chest and continuing to glare at the brunette, "do you still believe that it was us Kaiba, or have you discovered evidence to make you believe otherwise?" The tomb robber continued, Mokuba glanced between the two, letting his gaze rest on his brother.

"What's he talking about Seto? Is it something to do with Ryuuji?" The younger asked, his tone dark and grave yet with an undertone of desperation, panic and urgency. "Seto?" the younger prompted after a long silence.

"If you don't tell him, I will," Marik snarled as his hikari returned to his lap, both sets of lavender eyes trained on the CEO with the intent to kill blazing within them. The CEO glared back at them, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Get out of my house, all of you, now, I need to speak with Mokuba alone, you have no reason to stay here any longer now get the hell out." The former priest ordered, the Yami's just smirked darkly as their hikari's ushered them to their feet, explaining that it would be best to leave them to it and return tomorrow.

"Fine, we'll go, but if you haven't told him by tomorrow, I don't care what Ryou says I'll tell him everything without hesitation. Understood?" Bakura asked maliciously as he passed the CEO in the doorway said CEO just stared down at the Yami unimpressed.

"Get the fuck out of my house," the brunette snarled, losing his patience with the lunatics, it was not the best time to push him past the breaking point and this lot had already done that and just kept on pushing. He watched as the group left his house, sighing heavily and making his way into the lounge as the door slammed closed. Mokuba watched intently as his older brother sat down on the couch, the teen stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting down next to the dragon master.

"What was that about Seto? What's going on?" the younger asked, "I'm sorry that I shouted at you earlier, I was just upset that's all. You forgive me don't you?"

"Mokuba… stop…" the CEO instructed turning to face the younger Kaiba, "about what you said earlier, you were right. And as for Ryuuji… Mokuba… Ryuuji… well, Ryuuji's been kidnapped." The teen just stared at him for a while, charcoal eyes wide and shimmering with confusion.

"W…what… how… when?" the teen asked, panic evident in his voice, the CEO took a breath keeping himself calm and stoic, the mask eternally in place.

"I'm not sure, sometime last night," the dragon-master admitted, voice soft and gentle, he just wanted to go back, do things all over again, fix everything, not be so paranoid and most of all not let Ryuuji go out that night.

"When, after you threw him out?"

"I didn't throw him out."

"You may as well have"

"Mokuba, it's complicated,"

"It's only complicated because you make it complicated Seto," the younger Kaiba explained, "so, what are you going to do about it?" Mokuba asked, taking the situation a lot better than the dragon master had expected him to.

"Just leave it to me Mokuba," and before anything else could be said the phone rang.

XxxxxX 

Ryuuji stirred, emerald-eyes opening, his vision however was blurred so he closed his eyes once again. He registered that he was no longer sat in a wooden chair but lying on something soft, a mattress perhaps. He sighed, not wanting to open his eyes, though maybe it had all just been a dream, maybe he was lying in bed, Kaiba asleep next to him. He could feel tears burning in his eyes at the thought and forced them away as he opened his eyes and glanced around. It hadn't been a dream…

He wasn't safe in Kaiba mansion, in his bed with his koi lying beside him, he was in an abandoned warehouse somewhere, lying on an old bed with his hands and legs bound to the bedposts. Waking up to that was not a very pleasant experience. He was scared, really scared, infact the dice master had gone beyond scared and was absolutely terrified, but he wouldn't show it. He wouldn't give them the gratification.

The dice master growled and began tugging on the restraints around his wrists. He felt like screaming as loud as his voice would let him, he felt like crying for as long as the tears would fall, he refused to do either. Focusing on trying to escape,

"You're awake," Ryuuji ripped his gaze from the restraints to the man leaning against the doorframe, Mikey stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a gentle click. The raven-haired male watched him as he walked from the door to the bed, perching on the edge and gently knocking a few strands of raven-hair away from emerald-eyes. The dark-haired male just stared up at him for a while, noting that he had the same coloured eyes as Ville, and that they looked very similar to one another. The only really noticeable difference being that where as Ville had dark brown hair Mikey had light blonde. "I hope you don't mind being moved here, I thought that it was more comfortable."

"Not being restrained would be a hell of a lot more comfortable but you aren't going to remove these are you?" The dice-master growled tugging on the ropes to show what he was referring to. Mikey just shrugged and ran a hand through the blonde hair.

"That's not my call," he explained softly, his eyes locking with Ryuuji's, the dice master just narrowed his eyes warningly and ripped his gaze away, focusing on the wall to his left. "You know, I don't know why you put up with Kaiba, you could have so much better,"

"Shut up, you have no right to talk about my relationship like that." Ryuuji growled, keeping his gaze on the wall.

"Hm, but it's true is it not, he doesn't even believe you, he doesn't trust you, he'd sooner trust a stranger like me." The dice-master just chose to ignore the other, what he was saying was true, but Kaiba had reason to be paranoid. After all Ryuuji did have a reputation as being a slut, he wasn't but that reputation hung round his neck like a noose and wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, especially in Kaiba's mind.

"I said shut up," the raven-haired male reminded, turning to glare at the blonde,

"But he did trust me more than he trusted you. You see I told him that you had been having an affair with me behind his back, said that you had tricked him into falling for you, tricked him into loving you. That's when he stormed off, then he went home, you had a fight, left the mansion, sounding familiar?" Jade-eyed narrowed

"You did that? You bastard!" Ryuuji yelled tugging on the restraints once again, he wanted nothing more than to rip the other males heart out with his teeth. "How dare you tell him that! What gives you the right to fuck with peoples relationships!" The dice-master screamed, thrashing around on the bed as he tried, in vein, to free himself.

"I had to, Ville told me to," Ryuuji growled, tugging on the restraints and continuing to thrash, he had to get out, had to talk to Kaiba.

"If Ville told you to jump off a fucking cliff would you?"

"If he said that it would help Alex in the long run then yes of course I would,"

"What?" Ryuuji stopped, lying still in the centre of the bed, "whose Alex?" the blonde's eyes widened slightly and he shook his head from side to side.

"No…no one, I shouldn't have said anything please forget it, if Ville finds out he'll be mad at me, I'm not supposed to say… please." The blonde begged, Ryuuji's eyes narrowed slightly, glaring at the other male.

"Why should I do anything for you, you've kidnapped me and you've ruined my relationship with the only person that I have ever really loved, I don't owe you anything. Why should I even consider helping you?" The raven-haired male snarled, the blonde sighed, eyes narrowing slightly at what the other had said to him.

"Because I'm the one that will keep you alive until the ransom comes through," Mikey chuckled, the sudden change in his personality incredibly obvious. Ryuuji looked up at the other male who was now hovering above the dice-master, smirking darkly, the unease in Ryuuji's eyes was evident causing the smirk to widen.

"Mikey, enough," the blonde, shifted, getting off of the bed and walking over to door where Ville was stood, arms folded across his chest. "Out, now, I have something I wish to discuss with Ryuuji," the blonde nodded and stalked out of the room closing the door behind him. Ville waited until the sound of footsteps in the corridor had dissipated.

"You must be careful, my brother can be quite temperamental at times," the brunette explained as he walked over to the bed, perching on the edge as Mikey had done not long before.

"One question, what happens if Kaiba refuses to pay the money?" Ville smirked,

"Don't worry about that, he will pay the money, the deposit I asked for has already been placed into the account I set up. We're just waiting for the rest of the money to come through, then we'll contact Mr Kaiba tell him where we are, we'll clear out, he'll come get you and we can put all of this behind us." The brunette explained,

"Why are you doing this?"

"We need the money,"

"For Alex?" Ville smiled, the complete opposite of what Ryuuji had been expecting him to do.

"Yes actually, for Alex, so that he doesn't have to be like us, I'd die if it meant that he didn't have to live life following in my footsteps, for that is a torturous and cruel path to follow. And I know without doubt that he would not survive it." Ville said, a slight smile on his face but a look of sadness shimmering in the light green depths.

"And who exactly is Alex?" Ryuuji asked causing Ville's smile to turn into a smirk.

"So Mikey didn't elaborate, Alex, is our younger brother, when our father died he left us with nothing, Mikey and myself had to steal just to be able to eat. Our mother is dying too; we need the money to buy a house, to live, so that Alex does not have to be like us. Don't you see Ryu, all I want is the best for my baby brother,"

"Yet you willingly drag Mikey, who is also your baby brother I believe, into this life?" Ville chuckled, gently stroking the side of Ryuuji's face, the dice-master pulled away in disgust, repelled and feeling physically sick. None of them had any right to touch him.

"Hm, someone's getting a little cranky, yes Mikey is my brother but this is already his life, I can't save him but I can save Alex, that makes this all worth while."

"And if he knew what you'd done he wouldn't want to be anywhere near you,"

"But I'm doing it for him and as long as he is safe and happy I wouldn't care. After all, I'm only taking a page out of Kaiba Seto's book wouldn't he do anything to protect Mokuba, even kill," dark emerald-eyes narrowed.

"How dare you bring that into this, Gozaburo fell, you are nothing like Seto, he would do anything for Mokuba but he would not kidnap and blackmail," Ville just shook his head, rubbing his forehead,

"How do you know what he would do? If there was no other option you can't tell me that for his brother's sake, his brothers survival he wouldn't do **_everything _**and **_anything _**he could." The brunette said, Ryuuji just turned his head to the left, staring at the wall, "do you always do that when someone says something you don't agree with. Ignore them like a child?"

"No I do it when I'm tired of listening to a kidnapper who is trying to justify what he is doing by using his little brother and his circumstances as an excuse, you sicken me." With a growl Ville backhanded the dice-master, splitting his lip, the raven-haired male, swept the blood away with his tongue and glared up at the older male, the glare slowly turning into a smirk. "I take it being temperamental runs in the family." Ville smirked, standing from the bed and shaking his head.

"You're just going to keep pushing us until we're tired of you aren't you, tell me Otogi Ryuuji do you want to die, is that it?"

"And what if I do?" Ville leant down, grabbing hold of the younger male's face,

"Then I'll give you what you want, and wash my hands of you," Ryuuji just glared up at the older male smirking down at him. The creaking of the door being opened did not effect either of the two as they continued to glare at each other. It was only when the person coughed to get their attentions that Ville let go of the dice-master and glanced up at the door to see Mikey stood in the doorway smirking.

"He's good at pushing people to the breaking point isn't he Vi," the younger said smirking, "the money is being paid into the account," Mikey announced, Ville smirked and glanced down at Ryuuji, smiling softly.

"We'll be back shortly," the brunette explained, "I still believe that you will thank us for all of this one day, we'll make sure that Kaiba never lets you out of his sight again." The glint in the transparent green eyes made a shiver run through the dice-masters body and he suddenly wondered if he really was going to get out of this alive, because he now got the feeling that they had all been playing with him. Had led him into a false sense of security, he had thought that they were going to let him go when they got the money. That's what they had led him to believe.

They had done that on purpose hadn't they? They had been nice to him to trick him and now there was no point to keep up that façade anymore because the money was being paid. And when the money was all safely in the account then they would come back and the glint in their eyes told Ryuuji that they wouldn't be coming back just to untie him. He suddenly felt incredibly sick and scared and so the tears started to silently fall from his eyes…

YGOYGOYGOYGOYGOYGO 

Ok, I feel that, that sucked big time but this was really just a chapter to get the ball rolling, so to speak and hopefully the next chapter will be a lot better and up a lot sooner thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and I hope I haven't disappointed you too much…


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